The Trials of Muhammad Ali

The Trials of Muhammad Ali

Bill Siegel has more than 20 years of experience in documentary filmmaking and education. He co-directed the Academy Award-nominated documentary The Weather Underground; was a researcher on the documentary films Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story and Hoop Dreams; and was a writer on One Love, a documentary on the cultural history of basketball by Leon Gast (When We Were Kings). Siegel is vice president of school programs for the Great Books Foundation, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to literacy and lifelong learning.

No conventional sports documentary, The Trials of Muhammad Aliinvestigates its extraordinary and often complex subject’s life outside the boxing ring. From joining the controversial Nation of Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, to his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War in the name of protesting racial inequality, to his global humanitarian work, Muhammad Ali remains an inspiring and controversial figure. Outspoken and passionate in his beliefs, Ali found himself in the center of America’s controversies over race, religion, and war. From Kartemquin Films – makers of such acclaimed documentaries as Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters – and Academy Award-nominated director Bill Siegel (The Weather Underground), The Trials of Muhammad Ali examines how one of the most celebrated sports champions of the 20th century risked his fame and fortune to follow his faith and conscience.